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Columnist Alan Kohler’s hypothesis (Comment, 24/11) that “unaffordable housing has a political cause and a political solution” and that it is about some of “us” and “them” is affirmed starkly by study after study.
Put simply, those of us who have a home benefit at the expense of those who are locked out because government after government won’t touch housing policy reform.
Alarmingly, the stratospheric price of housing has further cemented “dangerous inequality” (ie, housing is not the lone variable in the inequality mix) that I, as a social worker working in the trenches, hear about directly from clients every day, who literally have nowhere to live.
That is, who couch surf among friends and family (if they’re lucky), live in sub-standard rental accommodation, rooming homes, tents (with their family) or at the end of the line, sleep rough in parks or on the streets throughout our not-so-lucky country.
Indeed, l agree with Kohler that we don’t need more prevarication (another inquiry or a royal commission) and navel-gazing by the government on a hypothesis that has been irrefutably confirmed.
Rather, we need to recalibrate housing as a basic human right and to revisit putting a lid on housing for investment by enshrining both sides of the equation in law.
Jelena Rosic, Mornington
Question the line
Your correspondent misses the point (″Two protests are worlds apart″, 25/11).
The commonality in the Vietnam rallies and the pro-Palestine marches is young people questioning the official narrative and being prepared to protest when they discover another side
to the story and the difference that that can make.
Margaret Callinan, Hawthorn
It’s hair-raising
I foresee a nation populated by long-haired galoots as mortgage holders forgo the monthly haircut.
Lindsay Zoch, Mildura
Hamas must go
Nasser Mashni writes in his capacity as president of the Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network about the pain of the Palestinian people, which I acknowledge. It is Hamas, however, who are responsible for the inevitable Israeli retaliation after October 7.
The advocacy network’s response to those attacks can be seen on their social media account displaying the following placard: “You can not deprive human beings of their basic rights and then call them terrorists when they resist.” It would behoove the Australian public to recognise the advocacy network’s justification of terrorism as a necessary means to achieve the goals of the Palestinian people.
Not only is this glorification of terrorism abhorrent, but terror also has the inverse effect on the dreams for Palestinian statehood. The heinous, brutal acts of October 7 have brought the Palestinian people further from their goals. Indeed, the Palestinian people deserve a life of dignity, but this will never be possible with Hamas at the helm.
Keren Zelwer, East St Kilda
The price of peace
I don’t get it. Why is Israel now portrayed as the villain in this war? Hamas indiscriminately slaughtered Israeli adults and children. Hamas’ stated intent is to annihilate Israel. Hamas will never accept peaceful coexistence with Israel. A non-terrorist Palestinian government might. Hamas indifferently uses its own citizens to shield its military centres.
Hamas cannot be beaten if Israel avoids attacking those centres. No matter how carefully targeted the Israeli attacks are, there will be, and have been, civilian deaths. If Israel does not eliminate Hamas’ strength, they will continue to wage war on Israel, now or later.
US president Harry S. Truman made the difficult decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan, knowing that the casualties would mainly be citizens. The bombs caused about 200,000 civilian deaths. They stopped the war.
There is no such thing as a ″clean″ war. There is always collateral damage – a horrible expression.
Ordinary Palestinian people’s deaths may be the price of peace – as were the ordinary Japanese people’s deaths.
Paul Nisselle, Middle Park
Our compassion shines
People are questioning why we have decided to accept Palestinians as temporary refugees when others won’t. It is because we are not like Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria or other Middle Eastern countries who won’t. We are Australia and we are a compassionate caring society, although some people would have us not.
Greg Tuck, Warragul
RBA on wrong road
The Reserve Bank has again shown that its policy of reducing inflation by increasing interest rates is wrong. Governor Michele Bullock states domestic demand is largely to blame for inflation and justifies this view by nominating hairdressing, dentistry, fuelling costs, and recreational events.
It needs to be recognised that increased prices are generated by suppliers, not people who are under stress from the RBA’s continued increase of interest rates. Examples show gas prices increased due to corporations focusing on exports and demanding that inflated prices should be paid in Australia; insurance companies have increased their prices; food costs have increased due to short supplies due to overseas wars and environmental change; rents have soared due to owners wanting to cover increased interest rates; house prices have increased due to a shortage of supply.
The RBA doesn’t seem to be aware that inflation is increasing around the world and is doing so predominantly by suppliers’ actions not by individual demand levels. The continuing policy of increasing interest rates will not solve the increased cost of living but it will increase inflation levels.
Malcolm Ellenport,
Brighton East
Free childcare the key
In relation to the report, ″Push for free childcare to help battlers″ (24/11), it has been said before: the government that introduces universal free childcare, will be there ad infinitum.
Gillian Learmonth, Prahran
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